The young pegasus filly sighed as she walked home from school that day. Another hearts and hooves day gone by and another day of loneliness. Everypony else had a special somepony that day, except for her. It was the same every year and the way the other ponies treated her didn't help.
"Ha! who would want to be with a pony like you?" one would say.
"Geez, how did your parents even end up with you?" another would say to her. She couldn't handle the insults and ran. She stepped onto the porch of her home and nudged the door open with a sigh.
"Ah'm home" she called out weakly. The usually soothing smell of a freshly baked Apple cinnamon Pie did nothing to help her relax as she entered the kitchen, dropping her saddlebag in the doorway.
"Welcome home sugarcube, how was school?" Applejack asked with a smile. Though the smile faded as she caught sight of her daughters face. Applejack pulled the pegasus into a gentle hug.
"Don't ya'll worry about them none Sunburst. They don't know real beauty when they see it." She spoke softly, slowly running a hoof through her mane.
"mom..." Sunburst said quietly, resting her head against her.
"Yes sugarcube?"
"ho...how did you and momma meet? and...well...ah'm no scientist or nuthin'...but last ah checked two mares can't have a foal..." Applejack sighed a little and thought about the question for a moment. She kissed her daughters forehead and smiled down at her.
"Why don't ya'll have a seat sunburst and ah'll tell ya the whole story." The pegasus sat down and adjusted her glasses a little as her mother began.
"Rainbow! ya darned lazy mule! Quit sleepin' in mah trees and get back t' buckin'!" Applejack lifted up on her forehooves and bucked the tree with all her strength, sending the Rainbow maned pegasus tumbling down and onto her back.
"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! I'm up. Geez AJ, I was just taking a little nap." Rainbow grumbled, slipping off her back. The pegasus stretched her wings and yawned, turning around to look at one of the trees.
"Well what do you need me for anyway AJ? You've already bucked all these trees." Rainbow argued.
"Yea, but ah still need ya t' shake th' bigger ones. Macintosh is off on another date with Fluttershy and ah ain't strong enough to buck those, much as ah hate t' say it." Rainbow raised an eyebrow.
"What? Theres really a tree you can't buck? You're like the toughest pony I know AJ!" Applejack laughed, a small blush touching her cheeks.
"Aw shucks Rainbow, thank ya kindly but even so. Ah can't buck em alone." Applejack pointed a hoof to one of the trees. It had to have been one of the biggest in the entire orchard. Its trunk was as thick as a small house and it rose high into the air, almost touching the clouds. Rainbow Dash whistled as she got a good look at it.
"Thats...a big tree..."
"Yea, only one ever t' buck this part of the orchard was Macintosh. Have a look." Applejack pointed a hoof at a dent in the tree.
"This was th' first time Macintosh ever bucked one of these. This is th' oldest tree in th' entire orchard. Thats actually how ol' Macintosh got his cutie mark. Spent months out here wearin' himself out on this here tree. One day he just reared up and BAM! Put this here dent in it and all th' apples came tumblin' down on his head." Applejack chuckled a little at the memory.
"So you've never tried?" Rainbow asked.
"Well of course ah tried. Nopony had ever bucked that hard before. Ah wanted t' be like Macintosh, but ah was just a little filly. Ah always gave this tree all ah had and it only ended in me hurtin' mahself. Ah'm just not meant to buck it." Rainbow Dash stared in shock and shook her head.
"Hey come on now AJ, you can't just give up! Macintosh didn't give up. Didn't you say you wanted to be like him? You said it yourself, he spent months out here kicking this tree until he put this dent in it. He never gave up and you can't give up either AJ, I won't let you!" Rainbow had tears in her eyes as she finished her speech.
"Rainbow...ah...well..." Applejack took a slow breath and tucked her hat down.
"Alright Rainbow...Ah'll give it another go..." she said quietly, walking past her rainbow maned friend and standing in front of the tree. She gulped and turned, lowering herself as she always did before bucking a tree and threw her hind hooves back against it with all the strength she had. She looked up to see the tree didn't even shake, not even a little. She hung her head and sighed.
"Ah told ya Rainbo..." CLUNK! Applejack rubbed her head as something bounced off it. She looked down to see a single Apple had fallen from the tree. Rainbow picked it up and grinned.
"You were saying?" Rainbow said, holding out the apple for her. Applejack just stared at it dumbstruck. It wasn't all the apples like her brother had done in one powerful kick, but it was still an Apple and she had knocked it loose.
"Ah...ah did that?" She asked incredulously.
"of course you did AJ, that kick was awesome! I bet with a few more tries you can knock all of those apples down!" Rainbow exclaimed with a smile.
"Wow...so what happened after that?" Sunburst asked, her mother chuckled a little.
"Well, it didn't take long after that for me an Rainbow t' finish for the day. We left Ol' Big Ben with his apples so ah could try again. Rainbow wouldn't let up on me about that. Every chance she had she was pushing me harder and harder so ah could buck it mahself. Even convinced Macintosh not t' buck it so ah could. The only breaks she would give me were when she had weather duty or we were finished for th' day." Applejack smiled, grabbing a picture that showed her and Rainbow Dash buried under a large pile of apples, both wearing huge grins. She set the picture down in front of Sunburst.
"That was one of the happiest days of mah life."
"Which day was that?" Rainbow Dash asked with a smile. On top of the mares back was a large white box, a balloon heart tied to it.
"Oh Dashie ya'll didn't have to get me anything special." Applejack kissed her cheek, making the mare blush.
"Yea well, it is hearts and hooves day. I couldn't resist getting you something special. Took me all day to get it right." Rainbow set the box down on the table, smiling as she noticed Sunburst holding the picture.
"Oh so thats the day you were talking about." Rainbow sat down beside Sunburst.
"So how was school?" Sunburst shook her head.
"Bunch of mules this year too huh? Don't worry about it kiddo. You'll find your special somepony someday."
"Ah was actually telling her how the two of us met. She seems to think two mares can't have a foal together." Applejack blushed a little and Rainbow laughed
"You didn't tell her TOO much did you? She is still just a filly."
"mom...i'm right here..." Sunburst grumbled
"Thats right, you are. And hearts and hooves day just isn't the same without everypony being happy. Now lets see..." Rainbow lifted open the top of the box with a smile, revealing a large cake with zap apple frosting writing out the words
'Love ya AJ'
"Mah goodness Rainbow..." Applejack was at a loss for words.
"Pinkie Pie helped me out with it...I kind of burnt the first two...but this one should be good." She blushed as Applejack kissed her cheek.
"Its the thought that counts Dashie, and ah'm sure its delicious." Sunburst sighed, drawing their attention.
"Sorry...its just...seein' ya'll be so romantic..." she mumbled, staring down at the picture. Rainbow pulled her into a hug, wrapping her wings around her.
"Hey, its alright Sunny. You know, before I met your mom I was just like you." Sunburst looked up at her.
"You were a lonely nerd who nopony cared about?" she asked. Rainbow shook her head.
"No, and thats not what you are either. I use to doubt I would ever find anypony, that no one cared about me. But that wasn't true, my friends cared about me." She smiled at her daughter for a moment before continuing.
"You should never think that nopony cares about you. I care about you, Applejack cares about you. It seems like it was just yesterday that you were curled up against her. It was the cutest thing i've ever seen." Applejack smiled and grabbed a photo album from a nearby shelf, sitting down beside them and flipping it open. Sunburst smiled as they flipped through the pages.
"Mom...what happened after you managed to buck Big Ben?" Sunburst asked, tilting her head back to look at her parents. Rainbow smiled as Applejack rested her head on her shoulder.
"Well..."
Applejack stared at the massive tree. Rainbow had been training her for months for this and now she was ready. Or at least she hoped she was. This was the last tree to be bucked for this harvest and she was determined to have every last apple. Rainbow stood beside her and nodded.
"You've got this AJ." She said with a smile. Applejack took a slow breath and walked up to the tree.
"Alright Big Ben, time to drop them apples." Applejack spun and kicked out, once, twice, again and again, slamming her hooves as hard as she could against the massive tree. Each kick sent a tremor through the tree but no apples fell. Again she kicked it, again it shook but no apples fell. Applejack yelled out in frustration and smacked her head against the tree, an apple bouncing off her head.
"But...all that trainin' ya'll did...Why wouldn't th' apples fall?" Sunburst asked.
"Well, with all that training Applejack had knocked down the easier apples to shake. Most of the ones that were left were near the top and only a Macintosh sized kick could shake those loose." Rainbow explained.
"At that point ah was ready t' jus' give up." Applejack sighed a little.
"What happened?"
She sighed and hung her head low, her back to Big Ben.
"Ah failed...again..." Applejack sighed.
"Ah guess ah'm jus' not cut out fer it Dashie..." Applejack gasped as Rainbow pushed her to her hooves.
"You can't give up now AJ. You've worked too hard and your tougher than this. I know you are! Its what I've always admired in you. You never give up on anything and this shouldn't be any different." Applejack turned to Rainbow, noticing a slight blush crawling up the mares cheeks.
D...Did Dash jus'...confess? she thought to herself, a blush touching her own cheeks. She nodded and bent her knees, throwing out her hind hooves with every last ounce of strength she could muster, the resounding crack of wood rang out throughout the entire orchard. Applejack smiled as the tree shook; A smile that began to fade as the rumbling of apples falling reached her ears. Rainbow leapt forward, throwing herself over Applejack as the apples poured down on top of them. The two poked their heads out of the pile of apples and laughed.
"Ah did it...Ah did it!" Applejack cheered happily, kissing Rainbow as she lost herself in the happiness that coursed its way through her. Rainbow Dash blushed bright red and smiled.
"I knew you could do it AJ"
"Eeyup." Macintosh said, they both turned to him, still smiling as he snapped a picture. Fluttershy giggled from beside him as he lowered the camera.
"Jus' like ah thought." Macintosh said with a small smile.
"um...so...how long have you two..." Fluttershy began to ask, making the two blush bright red.
"Hey! we're not..." Applejack began to say, though when she thought of it she wasn't sure. How did she feel about Rainbow Dash? Fluttershy giggled and Macintosh shrugged as they helped the two out of the pile of apples.
"So you really managed to applebuck Ol' Big Ben?" Sunburst asked with a smile.
"Ah sure did, all thanks to Dashie." Rainbow Dash smiled.
"Hey, you did all the work. I just kept you going is all."
"Now whats this? Equestrias' fastest flier being modest?" Applejack joked
"Yea yea, don't get used to it." Rainbow smiled.
"wait...so you two kissed but what then? Was it really that easy? and...well..." she lowered her head, tears forming in her eyes.
"am...Am ah adopted?" she asked through her tears. Rainbow Dash held the filly close.
"No Sunburst, your all ours." Rainbow said proudly, wiping away her tears. Applejack nodded and kissed her forehead.
"But...how?" she asked, shaking with silent sobs.
"Do you remember Princess Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked. Sunburst nodded.
"Well, she gave us a spell that allowed us t' have you. Technically Dashie is yer father, well actually yea she is." Applejack giggled with a blush. Sunburst tried to imagine her mother as her father instead, the image making her laugh. Rainbow was the rough and tough type, but so was Applejack, either one could've taken the job. Though at her age she didn't truly understand what they meant. She didn't really care in that moment, because she was with ponies that loved her.
"so...ya are mah real parents?" They both nodded, smiling as the filly hugged them.
"s...so what happened next?" she asked, wipiing away the last of her tears.
"Well we had a big party t' celebrate."
Pinkie Pie bounced around sugarcube corner, her smile lifting the spirits of anypony that caught sight of her. It was a smile that nopony could ignore and brought happiness to everypony who managed to catch a glimpse of the poofy maned earth pony as she served out sweets. Though she was more focused on a few certain ponies instead of her normal customers. Pinkie pie spun a tray on top of her head, a cupcake landing in front of each of her friends, who laughed and clapped their hooves, the pink party pony bowing.
"Thank you! Thank you! Eat up everypony! I'll be back in just a sec" Pinkie Pie stopped for a moment, noticing a look in Rainbow Dash's eyes. She hadn't seen that look on the pegasus pony in a long long time. Pinkie's eyes quickly followed the direction of Rainbow's gaze and was unsurprised to see it was directed at Applejack who didn't seem to notice it. Pinkie Pie let the grin she felt inside flash quickly before turning to Fluttershy and Big Macintosh.
"Hey, Shy, Mac. Can you two come help me with something?" She asked quickly, her eyes darting toward Rainbow and Applejack for just a moment. Fluttershy caught on in an instant and somewhat to Pinkie's surprise so did Macintosh, both of them standing and following her into the kitchen. Rainbow Dash blushed as Applejack's attention was turned to her, quickly shifting her face to her cupcake instead.
"Congrats AJ." She said with a smile, looking up slowly.
"Ah couldn't have done it without yer help Dashie. Yer a good coach." Applejack giggled a little
"And a good cheerleader" she teased, laughing as the pegasus mare blushed. Applejack smiled a little as she caught sight of the other ponies flushed cheeks. She remembered what Rainbow Dash had said to her, that she had admired her. It was that small speech that had finally helped her achieve a lifelong goal. She got up from her seat and scooted in next to Rainbow, giving her a peck on the cheek.
"Thanks for yer help Dashie." Rainbow Dash only sat there with wide eyes, her wings flinging open. She buried her head in her hooves in embarrassment.
"wait...what does that mean?" Sunburst asked. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, a light blush on her face.
"uh...It means I was happy Sunny." she quickly explained. Applejack chuckled a little.
"Very happy." The workpony added with a sly grin. Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"She's still young AJ"
"She's old enough t' understand Dashie."
"Ah'm still right here..." Both her parents looked down at her and laughed.
"Alright, where was ah?"
Applejack blushed as she stared at her friends predicament.
"Oh Dashie, ah'm sorry..." she apologized quietly. The pegasus only blushed harder, her entire face turning a bright shade of red as she struggled to lower her wings.
"D...Did ya'll really mean what ya said Dashie?" Rainbow Dash lifted her head, surprised by the question. That and the fact that nopony had noticed her wings.
"W...What do you mean AJ? Of course I meant what I said, I always mean what I say." Applejack chuckled a little and placed her head on the ponies shoulder
"Ah meant back there with Big Ben, when ya said ya'll admire me...what did ya mean by that sugarcube?" Rainbow Dash bit her lip. She couldn't lie to Applejack, it was impossible to lie to her. The work horse could sniff out a lie from a mile away easily. From behind the counter three ponies watched the two, Rainbow Dash glancing toward Pinkie Pie, the mare nodding frantically. She took a deep breath to calm herself.
"AJ...what do ya say we go hang out somewhere?" She asked with a smile.
"What about Mac and Shy?" Applejack asked, looking toward the kitchen. Just barely spotting three ponies as they ducked out of view. She caught the hint and chuckled a little.
"Alright Dashie, Ah suppose they'll be fine without us." Rainbow smiled as they left sugarcube corner, Pinkie pie and Fluttershy sharing a high hoof as they watched their friends leave together.
"It was jus' like Pinkie to pull Mac and Shy away like that. Ah bet you an her were plannin' that th' whole time Dashie." Applejack laughed.
"Well Pinkie and Shy might have planned it, but I was panicking the entire time. I didn't have a clue what I was going to say."
"But what did you say?" Sunburst asked, lost in the story of her parents relationship. The two smiled at one another.
"Well, ya know yer mother ain't much of a romantic. But jus' as the sun was settin'..."
The two ponies sat next to one another as the sun hung by a thread in the distance. Applejack cleared her throat.
"This is beautiful and all sugarcube, but ya'll never did answer mah question." Applejack reminded her.
"About that AJ...I understand if this comes out weird but...I'm jealous of you." Applejack stared at her for a moment in shock.
"Now what would make ya'll jealous of me? Yer THE Rainbow Dash for Celestias sake!"
"I'm jealous of your courage and honesty. You always know what to say when it needs to be said and you do it without hurting anypony. I'm jealous of how you never give up no matter what is thrown your way. I couldn't believe you were gonna give up on Big Ben. And when I saw you buck that tree and get that confidence back it was the most amazing feeling I've ever had." Rainbow looked up at the clouds as they slowly drifted by, trying to piece together her next words carefully. The fate of her friendship rested on them. Applejack waited with bated breath as the pegasus spoke once more.
"Applejack, I know you probably don't feel the same way..." the pegasus turned to face her, grabbing hold of her hoof in both of hers.
"But I've always liked...no...I've always loved and cared for you. Just watching you work inspires me to keep going. You always keep going until you get the job done. I only managed to master some of my best tricks cause I saw how determined you were. I understand if this is weird...me being a fillyfooler and all...and I'm sorry for putting you in this situation...But I couldn't just sit around anymore without saying anything to yo..." the pegasus was caught off as she was pulled into a passionate kiss.
"Awwwwww, thats so romantic!" The filly giggled at her mothers blush. Rainbow cleared her throat a little, keeping a wing wrapped around Applejack.
"Wait we aren't done yet sugarcube" The work pony chuckled.
"Oh Sorry!" The pegasus fell back into silence, waiting patiently for her parents to finish their tale.
Applejack let go of Rainbow and smiled at the dazed expression on her face.
"So thats what all the fuss is about?" she asked with a light blush touching her cheeks.
"y...Your not mad or creeped out?" Rainbow asked as she shook from her daze.
"Sugarcube, why would ah be creeped out by you? T' tell th' truth...Ah've kinda had you on my mind a lot lately. 'Specially with everything ya'll have done for me. If not fer you Dashie ah'd still be depressed about ol' Big Ben and ah'd never get up the courage to buck him. You gave me back my confidence and so much more Dash. Ah'll admit this is strange...but ah think we can make it work." Rainbow Dash smiled, wrapping her wing around the work horse and together the two watched the sun set.
"Wait...is that the whole story? What about Princess Twilight?" Sunburst asked. The story couldn't end there. There had to be more to it than that. Rainbow smiled.
"Well, why don't you go ask her?" She suggested.
"Thats a great idea Dashie. We haven't visited her in a while, maybe we can all git together for ol' times sake." Sunburst smiled, hugging both of her parents and rushing to her room to get packed.
"So...how do we explain me being her father?"
